You, Me, Dinner and Movies
by Nerica
Summary: In which Francis is reacquainted with Arthur's cooking *LE gasp* and Arthur gives Disney a chance. Some FACE. [edit: I've fixed the formatting! :]
1. No fire, no smoke

**You, Me, Dinner and Movie(es)?**

This is what happens when one has a really bad night of sleep (couldn't fall asleep until 3am and then woke up every hour or so =.=). Then, this morning, as I lay in bed turning and tossing as sleep refused to take me back, this came to me. XD Didn't know it would take me so long to put everything into words... Oh well, at least I finished it. :D Hope you enjoy.

Please review~

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><p><span>Thank goodness<span>

Even from the distance, he could see that the house was dark -save for the TV, most likely- judging from the flashing bluish light. Turning off the engine, he gave a sigh. Usually, Thursdays meant extra long hours and by the time he got home, he would be drained. But at the same time, Thursdays also meant Francis would be working from home and he would be greeted by some tantalizing smell coming from the kitchen when he came back. The Frenchman would be over the stove, humming some nameless tune, all focused on his cooking, paying only the minimal attention to Arthur's grumbling about what an awful day it was- something about useless co-workers or stupid bosses. They would have a quiet dinner, and if he was lucky enough, he'd be treated for some _special_ dessert…

"I am home," he said, more out of habit than anything, closing the door behind him. As expected, no answer. He made for the living room, disposing his coat on one of the free hooks on his way. Another sigh escaped him when he found the blonde asleep on the couch, some cartoon playing on the TV screen. For some reason, whenever he was sick, Francis would be prone to having Disney animations marathons. At first, he'd found it strange, perhaps amusing, but now it was just plain exasperating –had the man even moved at all since his departure? His mind set, he took the remote and switched it off. _There, much better._

However, just as he sets the remote back on the table, his hand was grasped. Somewhat groggy blue eyes stared at him.

_"what did you do that for?"_ they seemed to ask.

"You've been watching those stupid cartoons all day, it is enough." The other did not seem convinced. "Are you hungry? Want me to make you some food?" The distraction worked, judging from the instant horrified grimace he received. Taking advantage of that moment of stupor, he got up. "Now don't you worry, I am simply going to reheat some soup and some toast, nothing complicated about that."

.

…Alright, so the bread was a tiny bit burnt around the edges and the soup somehow became somewhat thicker… So what? It just gives the toast little more character and there's nothing wrong with puree. In fact, why have boring soup when you can have puree?


	2. You jump, I jump

You eat, I watch

By the time he got back into the living room, to his displeasure, the TV was on again. _Ugh, stupid stubborn Frog!_

Said frog was currently holding up the little whiteboard he'd gotten him last night, since he had lost his voice too, this time. "You will like it, it's Peter Pan!" Then, catching sight of the platter of what was supposedly dinner, he frowned before adding "Not hungry." shaking his head for emphasis.

"How about this, you be cooperative and eat, and I'll let you watch that Peter whatever thing?" he replied, mind working fast. He was rather surprised when the other gave in quickly, taking the spoon and –after only a slight hesitation- digging in! Well, not that he should be surprised; his cooking wasn't that bad after all. _Or it might be that he is simply hungry_, supplied the helpful little voice in his head. Never mind, who cares? His food was being eaten. By none other than Monsieur I-cook-like-a-god. Even the toast had a little mouth-sized hole in the middle-where it wasn't burnt. Arthur was rather proud of himself.

The meal was relatively quiet –save for Francis' occasional sniffle, which was rather annoying, but the poor thing's nose was all pink and he sounded like he had both a runny _and_ blocked nose, and so Arthur chose not to comment on the issue. By the time the credits rolled, Arthur had to admit, it wasn't too, too bad, especially considering it was an American production and all... He looked down and felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth; Francis had fallen asleep at some point during the film. Carefully, as to not wake him, he grabbed the remote and turned it off. For the second time that evening, he was stopped from putting it back down. Seriously, it was as if the damned Frog was somehow connected, linked to the device! He could sleep through the whole of pirates fighting and crocodiles and whatnot, yet the moment the screen turns black with that indescribable slightest sound, he wakes?!


	3. Give up, give in

For a moment, they stare at each other without a word, and then Francis reached for the remote and turned it back on, clearly challenging him to a stubbornness contest. As much as he was tempted to get up and unplug the whole bloody thing, he knew it wouldn't end that easily and felt too tired to play that game. Taking a deep breathe to calm down, he decided to use coaxing words. Or at least, he tried to. What actually came out of his mouth was:

"Watching too much TV is bad for you. Stop being an unreasonable git, Frog." Rolling his eyes as the other quickly scribbled back:

"And you, stop bothering me, Rosbif! It's MY TV!" with the possessive adjective being underlined twice for emphasis. This was the last straw for Arthur, he had tried being nice, since the other was sick, but if that's what he gets in return, if bloody idiot wanted to be difficult, then he gave up. He was tired, had a rough day at the office and would still have to get up early the next day.

"Fine! You know what, you can do whatever you want because I'm washing my hands off you. Go and watch that screen until your head implodes and see if I care!" with that, he stormed out of the room, leaving a dumbfound Frenchman.

He had just gotten out of the shower and was getting into pajamas when a soft knock on the door startled him. There, standing in the doorway looking somewhat apologetic was Francis.

"I'm sorry. Are you still mad? " he read. He even had the same dramatically sad smiley pout face pat down. After what seemed like the longest five seconds, Arthur's lips betrayed him with his mouth curling into a smile despite himself. Taking this as an encouragement, Francis wiped the message off before writing something else. "Come watch another with me, please? " Drat! it wasn't fair; how could he say no when the Frog was looking at him like that? Well it explains where the twins learned their tricks.

"Alright, but just one."


	4. Jamais deux sans trois

"The Beauty and the Beast? Really, Francis? Of course, a story about a maiden and a beast, published for the first time in no other place than France. Why am I not surprised?" he teased. He was rewarded by an elbow on his arms that almost made him spill their tisanes. Still, the reason he was so reluctant to watch these Disney so-called films was that he much preferred reading. It allowed for a greater understanding of characters and one's own imagination was always better than someone else's. Besides, he had nothing against happy endings, but those were children's animations, it would therefore probably be sugar-coated and let's not even get started on the cheesy songs every five minutes! "Ugh, I can't believe I am about to watch another one of that American idiot's butchering of classics -even if there're from France." He complained loudly.

"You will like it, I promise." The other wrote back smiling, before leaning into his shoulder. Well, since he was to watch this, he might as well get comfortable, no?

The moment the movie started, he almost choked on his tisane. The blue-eyed blonde-haired spoiled prince, the rose! As if reading his thoughts, Francis sneered. He took another sip and pretended not to notice. Personally, he related more with Belle, her love for books, for fairytales and magic spells…

Even so, as the story progresses, he finds that Belle reminds him more of Francis, the ribbon, the grace, the kindness, the way she saw through Beast's tough exterior, his fast temper, his clumsiness when dealing with people, the way she believed in love, the way she changes Beast, unknowingly saves him from himself… He discreetly wiped the corner of his eyes, glancing to his left to make sure the Frog did not misunderstand -since those were certainly not tears at all!; only to find that the other blonde had once more fallen asleep. He took a moment to observe the man beside him. He never really told him –or anyone for that matter, but he had always found Francis to be beautiful. Those long lashes, that nose that was crooked just enough for Francis to see but was undetectable to others -unless one looked hard enough the way Arthur was now- that he used to make fun of, even though he secretly thought it was perfect just like that. Even now that it was pink and chapped, even now that his lips, usually full and soft were dry and cracked, even with the slight frown on his face and dark circles under his eyes, even then, he could not think of anyone else he would rather be with.


	5. The more, the merrier

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of a car door being slammed shut and heavy footsteps coming from outside the house, quickly followed by that loudly obnoxious and obnoxiously loud voice, just before the doorbell was rung repeatedly. He cursed mentally and got up to answer, although the commotion did not seem to stir 'Sleeping Beauty' from his slumber, who merely shifted at his leave.

"Hey Artie! Me and Matt thought we'd checkup on Francis since he's sick and all… Oh hey, Pops, how 'you doing?" Arthur turned around to see the Frenchman right behind him.

"Alfred, Matthieu, how nice of you boys to come for a visit, come on in!" is what Francis wanted to say, what came out instead was a cross between a croak and meow. For a moment, time froze. Then, Matthew busted out laughing, soon joined by the other two, leaving the indignant Francis blushing. The laughter finally died down and Francis and Alfred settled in the living room while Matthew went into the kitchen to help Arthur prepare some hot chocolate.

"Francis told me you guys were watching my Disney movies together? How sweet is that, aren't they awesome?" Arthur shot a glare at Francis, who merely shrugged. "Those classics sure are cool, but you know what'd be even more cooler? Let me show you some of my newer stuff! Oh, oh I know! How about, one of my personal favorites…"

"Not now, Alfred…" but the lad had already stopped listening to him, and remote in hand, was browsing the various titles. He looked over at Matthew, the more sensible of the two, but apparently, they all seemed to like Alfred's idea. "Here, I found it!"Arthur looked up on time to see that Alfred had selected some film called 'The Incredibles'. "I promise you'll like it, it's awesome! Right, Mattie?"

"Yes, just one, please Dad?" pleaded Matthew. It was not fair, calling him that. That was cheating and oh, there it was, that look…Ugh! "Alright, just one.", he finally relented.

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><p>Hey people, thanks for reading! And don't forget: reviews are love! :D<p> 


	6. All good things come to an end

Not that he would admit it aloud, but it was rather nice, having the twins over and being like a family again. How long had it been, it seemed only like yesterday when they were both but cute little toddlers. Time sure flies fast. He suddenly felt old.

"What?" he asked, catching Francis staring at him. The other merely smiled and shook his head, that knowing glint in his eyes, before grabbing some popcorn and marshmallows that Alfred had somehow materialized out of nowhere.

Now that he had started to, he couldn't help but see connections where there probably wasn't any. For instance, the Supers' having to protect their identities, just like them as nations had to; or the uncanny similarities between Dash and Al, always wanting to prove themselves, slightly obnoxious and totally carefree; and how many times had Matt's shy nature resulted in him being forgotten, being just as quiet and invisible as Violet? The last ones were also the more sensible and reliable sibling. It wasn't until they had to go and talk about living in past glories that he seriously started to wonder if it really was just coincidences and the American had nothing to do with it.

"Hey Mattie, betcha I could fit more marshmallows than you" But then again, maybe it was just his imagination.

By the time the credits rolled, it was already quite late and so the boys left after receiving a hug each from Francis, who had managed to stay awake the whole duration of the movie this time. Arthur bid them goodbye, a soft smile on his face as he closed the door. He had to admit, he had a great time and it sort of made him miss the olden days.

"Well, I've still got work tomorrow so I should go to sleep; you coming?" Francis nodded before following him to the bathroom where they brushed their teeth and prepared for bed. "Is that really necessary?" he asked as the other put on a facial mask. All he got in response was an eye roll.

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><p>If this idea seems familiar, it is because this chapter was slightly inspired by starrdust411's story 'Invincible' on LJ. Some time ago, I read the prologue which had Arthur and Francis as Supers (Captain Invincible and Monsieur Elastic, respectively) and it immediately hit me how Al is like Flash –they are both so energetic almost to a point of being hyperactive, and what a coincidence that Violet can turn invisible, just like Matt. Wait, who? XD Anyhow, and then today, I saw starrdust411's chapter 1 and I guess great minds do think alike, huh? :P<p>

Oh yeah, and Francis as Monsieur Elastic is just soooo win, if you know what I mean... ;] *shot*

Please review~


	7. One last one for the road

(Or Two)

All he wanted was to go to sleep, but his mind seemed bent was having a conversation with itself. He felt Francis shift beside him and a hesitant tap on his arm.

"Francis?" Suddenly, there was a soft click and it was too bright. By the time his eyes had readjusted, the other was holding the whiteboard

"Tired, but can't sleep" "Too quiet" he added.

"Hmm, what do you suggest?"

"Could we go back to the couch?" "pleeeeease?"

"…Alright, I suppose we could give it a try, but just tonight, you hear?" Francis rewarded him with a quick peck on the cheek, before swiftly grabbing the blanket and disappearing into the hallway, leaving a slightly stunned Brit behind him.

They were comfortably installed on the couch, but Arthur resigned himself to the prospect of little sleep for the night just as 'Mulan' was selected by Francis.

Despite being tired, Arthur quickly found himself getting sucked into the story. Francis, on the other hand, had not seemed to have any difficulty being lulled to sleep and went out like a light. But by the time Arthur realized this, he decided he wanted to watch till the end, briefly laughing at the idea of Yao actually being a cross-dresser.

Somehow, he spotted Yao walking ahead of him and he was about to go and tease him about his looks, but the other sped up, muttering to himself. Something that sounded like:

"Aya, I'm so late aru!" He tried calling out to him, to no avail. It was as if the other couldn't hear him despite his long white ears. Then, he was in the woods, talking with his fairy friends when a weird cat that looked like Francis appeared and they all disappeared, leaving but trails of fog. But it wasn't really fog, for there, on the tree branch, he saw that Cuban man smoking. Then everything got rather confusing. Dancing Italian twins, a man that looked just like him but spoke nonsense, a scary queen holding a frying pan chasing after him. He kept running but suddenly, he felt himself falling, and falling until finally, he woke up! Only a dream, thank goodness. He quickly grabbed the remote and switched the TV off, wowing to himself he'd never fall asleep with a Disney movie again.

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><p>Thanks for reading, everyone!^^; (Althought I wish you would take the time to review as well XD) Oh well, hope you enjoyed it :]<p>

To Dionnysia, thank you for your kind encouragement, omake next is dedicated to you! ;D


	8. Omake

**Omake 1**

What would have happened if the twins came by just a little earlier.

"Oh hey, is that 'Beauty and the Beast?' I remember Mattie used to watch that one all the time when we were younger, ain't that right, Mattie?"

"Well, it was always one of my favorites, so yeah", replied his brother.

"Really? How come?" Arthur was curious.

"…Okay, it's embarrassing but I guess I can tell you guys". Alfred and Arthur both looked at the Canadian expectantly.

"Well?"

"It's, it's because I saw Papa and you in the characters, but really, it's stupid, I know…" _What? Could he mean... _thought Arthur, eyes widening.

"Oh yeah, I remember now, you've told me before" interrupted Alfred. "You said that Lumiere and Cogsworth reminded you of Old Man here and Pops, always fighting but always together, too, right?" Arthur's jaw dropped.

A/N: In the French version, Cogsworth's name is Big Ben.

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><p><strong>Omake 2<strong>

"So, Yaoyao is a woman? Very Interesting. Kolkolkol."

Somewhere, a Chineseman sneezed.


End file.
